Top of the blogs
Not for the first time, Kanye West is courting controversy. Ordinarily, musicians only grudgingly use a blog to tell fans that they have a new album out and they hope we like it. The rapper is using his online journal at www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog to leak other people's songs, offering them as free downloads. And when your contacts book is as bulging as West's, the exclusives you can provide are a little juicier than those available to your average bedroom blogger.

New tracks by Swedish pop band Peter Bjorn And John and fellow rappers Mos Def and Rhymefest have all appeared in the past few days — and you can be sure that record executives are nervy about West offering their choice cuts up for nothing. West must be confident that when he does it, it counts as buzz-building rather than undermining future sales.

What is for sure is that his blog has become a must-read. As befits a man whose ego merits its own tax band, the rapper has a deep-seated need to be regarded as the best at everything he does- and at the moment, that includes blogging. He posts up to 10 times a day, seldom revealing his deepest thoughts, simply posting endless pictures of things that have caught his eye, whether sunglasses or trainers or models he fancies (of course, these may actually be his deepest thoughts).

It's easy to see the appeal of blogging to the stars — it's an opportunity to bypass the agendas of accursed interviewers and talk directly to the fans, and it doesn't hurt that a hundred or more of your admirers will post comments about how wise you are nanoseconds after anything you put online.

Some, accidentally or not, find that the unedited format allows their aura to fade. Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, bless him, doesn't like airport security and people taking his picture (http://petewentz.com), while P Diddy rants like a drunk in a doorway on his delightfully embarrassing video blogs (type “Diddy blog” into YouTube). However, Lily Allen, once queen of the disarmingly honest blog, no longer posts regularly enough to keep her status as a must-read.

But while no one can keep up with Kanye, a few are well worth bookmarking for regular visits. Their world wouldn't come over as vividly in any other format. 

Five big-name bloggers

DAVID BYRNE — http://journal.davidbyrne.com
As we might expect from one of pop's brainiest men, the former Talking Heads singer writes thousands of words on his day-to-day activities —the colonial architecture of Brazil, singer Gilberto Gil and the German philosopher Schopenhauer.

BRIAN MAY— www.brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/brianssb.html
“Bri's Soapbox”, as Queen's guitarist calls it, contains rants about journalists, a piece on the plight of the British badger, enthusiastic recollections of his band's latest tour, notes about astronomy and an admirable amount of direct communication with individual fans.

MOBY — www.moby.com/journal
The dance producer has been keeping a detailed diary online since 2000. Mostly he delights in the mundane details of New York life — where he had brunch, what he saw at the cinema — with regular praise of Barack Obama thrown in.  

FRANZ FERDINAND —www.franzferdinand.co.uk/diary_band
All of the band seem equally keen on blogging, so Franz Ferdinand post more than most. It's usually videos and music — their tastes extend to garage rock weirdos The Monks, Sparks and fairground organs.
 
COURTNEY LOVE — www.myspace.com/courtneylove
Lynne Truss's worst nightmare, Ms Love (left) is not a fan of full stops, capitals, or making any sense whatsoever. “well forst my bellesof the black diamond fields sarah sophies manifesto is so sweeet” is a typical “sentence” — a true insight into the mangled mind of one who is not like the rest of us.

NEW ON THE NET
*The next inescapable pop hit is currently selling fast in download stores despite no sign of a CD release. It's Day 'N' Nite by Kid Cudi vs Crookers, an almost comically simplistic, slow-motion R&B number that can't be removed once it gets tangled in the brain. Expect a high chart placing for Kanye West's latest protégé on Sunday.

*Singing barrow boy Jamie T is giving away his uncharacteristically incendiary comeback song Fire Fire! for free at www.jamie-t.com, a short and shouty bruiser that may or may not hint at the direction of his imminent second album.

*The iTunes store has finally joined rivals Amazon MP3 and 7Digital in starting to sell music without Digital Rights Management restrictions, meaning that once you buy a song, it really is yours to do what you like with. Pricing is set to become more flexible from April too — it's about time.